Collapsible container



Jan. 24, 1961 M. M. CUNNINGHAM 2,969,102

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Filed Aug. 31, 1959 ATTORNEY COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Marion M. Cunningham, Providence, R.I., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Aug. 31, 1959, Ser. No. 837,063

1 Claim. (Cl. 150-.5)

This invention relates to collapsible liquid packages or storage containers of the type formed by closing the ends of a flexible tube and more particularly to means for lifting such containers.

In the packaging industry containers are often referred to as packages. Accordingly, in this application the terms will be used synonymously and what is discussed with respect to a package for transportation purposes will apply also to a container for storage purposes.

A simple and inexpensive package or container may be constructed of flexible material merely by forming a tube and closing off both ends. Such a container is disclosed in my U.S. Patent No. 2,865,419. A container of this type presents many advantages in the shipment and storage of a variety of products of either gaseous or liquid form.

A preferred form of end closure for containers of this type is disclosed in U.S. patent application Serial No. 695,961, filed November 12, 1957, now Patent No. 2,930,423.

Although containers of this type present many advantages, one of the problems which has arisen in connection with their use concerns the provision of suitable means for lifting and stacking the containers when filled with liquids. As is readily understandable, a collapsible container formed of relatively flexible material, particularly one of considerable length and capacity, when filled with a large quantity of liquid, will be difficult to load onto a truck or flat car. The size of the container and the great weight of the product make lifting and stacking a major problem.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide means in packages or containers of this type Which will facilitate their lifting when fully loaded. Another object of the present invention is to provide means adapted to maintain a substantially even load distribution on the walls of the container during loading and unloading operations.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel lifting gear for use with collapsible containers of this type, which gear' is constructed to apply the lifting loads to the container evenly and in such a manner as to facilitate movement of the container without appreciable distortion.

In accordance with these objects, I have provided a plurality of cables along the vertical longitudinal center plane of the body portion of the container. These cables are anchored to the top and bottom walls at uniformly spaced locations intermediate the ends of the container. The cables are further adapted to support the lifting loads applied and to distribute them uniformly along the length of the structure.

The foregoing and other objects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a collapsible container connited States Patent the present invention comprises a substantially cylindricalv body portion having an upper wall 11 and a lower wall 12. The opposite ends of the container 10 are closed in any suitable manner, and preferably as disclosed in the above-- mentioned U.S. patent application Serial No. 695,961,v now Patent No. 2,930,423, as shown at 13. The ends are further'provided with handles or similar gripping means 13 adapted to be used in lifting and manipulating the container 10 when the same is empty. At one of its ends, the container 10 is further provided with spigot or nozzle means 14 for filling and emptying.

The container 10 is preferably made of a reinforced plastic material, for example from a plurality of plies of rubber-coated cord fabric as disclosed in the above-men-j tioned U.S. Patent No. 2,865,419. The actual arrangement of the cords in the plies constitutes no part of the present invention. Moreover, the term rubber is em: ployed to designate not only natural rubber but also synthetic rubber and other elastomers having the desired physical properties.

Fixedly attached to the upper wall 11 of the container 10 in an air-tight manner are a plurality of eyelets 15, which are spaced uniformly along the length of the container and are all located in the same vertical longitudinal center plane of the container. The eyelets 15 may, for example, be afiixed to the container wall 11 prior to the vul'canizing thereof, whereby the subsequently applied vulcanization heat and pressure will ensure the formation of a strong, fluid-tight bond between the wall 11 and the eyelets 15. Each of the eyelets 15 has a portion 15' extending into the interior of the container 10.

Similarly, there is provided in the bottom wall 12 of the container 10 a plurality of anchor plugs 16, each of which has a portion 16' extending into the interior of the container, the plugs 16 being disposed in the same vertical central plane as the eyelets 15, each anchor plug 16 being axially aligned with a respective eyelet 15. The anchor plugs 16 are also preferably mounted in the container wall 12 prior to the vulcanization thereof, so as to ensure that the heat and pressure applied during the vulcanization of the container will lead to the formation of a strong, fluid-tight seal between the anchor plugs 16 and the container wall 12.

Located within the container 10 are chains or cables 17, each cable being attached and anchored at one end to the portion 15 of an eyelet 15 and at its other end to the portion 16 of the corresponding and oppositelylocated anchor plug 16. Thus, the chains or cables 17 when stretched tightly are located in the aforesaid longitudinal center plane of the container and are spaced equally from one another lengthwise of the container. For the purpose of preventing rust or corrosion when the container is employed to transport such liquids as acids, alkalis, petroleum products, etc., the cables 17 and the anchoring means 15 and 16' are preferably made of stainless steel. The length of each chain or cable 17 is preferably less than the vertical diameter of the loaded unrestrained container.

The present invention further contemplates the provision of novel means for lifting the container 10. As most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the lifting gear 18 essentially consists of a beam or like rigid structure 19, substantially I-shaped in cross-section, and provided at Patented Jan. 24, 1961':

its upper edge with a pair of lugs or brackets 20 and at its lower edge with a plurality of longitudinally spaced books 21. The lugs o-r brackets 20 are provided with apertures 20 for attachment to slings or cables 22, adapted in turn to be connected to the hook 23 of any suitable lifting mechanism (not shown), such as a crane or the like. The hooks 21 at the lower edge of the beam 19 are equal in number to the eyelets 15 on the container and are arranged in respective parallel planes extending substantially transversely to the longitudinal center plane of the beam 19, the hooks being spaced from one another by the same amount as the eyelets and anchor plugs 16 of the container 10. For the purpose of facilitating manual transfer or guiding of the beam from one location to another, handles 24 are provided at the opposite ends of the beam.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the container 10, when completely filled with liquid, is rendered substantially rigid due to the internal pressure of the contents. When it is desired to lift the container and to transfer the same from one location to another in its filled condition, the hooks 21 of the beam 19 are engaged with the respective eyelets 15. Upon raising of the hook 23, thereafter, the applied lifting force will be directed via the beam 19, the hooks 21, the eyelets 15, the chains or cables 17 and the anchor plugs 16 through the center of mass of the container 10 and its contents, thereby placing all of the lifting cables 17 under equal tension.

Since under ordinary conditions the container is pressurized concurrently with the filling thereof to impart thereto a monocoque rigidity, the lifting force applied by the hook 23 will tend to increase the pressure and thus increase the rigidity of the container. The latter, there fore, will retain its shape throughout its transfer and thus may be readily lifted and stacked as required.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, it is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example herein chosen for purposes of disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In combination, a lifting device comprising an elongated 4 beam, sling means attached to the upper edge of said beam, and a plurality of hooks attached to the lower edge of said beam and spaced uniformly from one another longitudinally of said beam; and a collapsible container of the type formed by securing together the marginal edges of each end of a cylindrical tube of relatively flexible material, said container comprising a plurality of eyelets affixed to the exterior surface at the top thereof and arranged at uniformly spaced locations along the vertical longitudinal center plane of said container intermediate the ends thereof, a plurality of first anchoring elements located within said container and afiixed, respectively, to the top of said container in vertical alignment with said eyelets, a plurality of second anchoring elements arranged within said container and aifixed to the bottom of said container in vertical alignment with said first anchoring elements, respectively, and a plurality of vertically disposed cables arranged within said container and anchored at their opposite ends to said respectively aligned first and second anchoring elements, whereby said cables are disposed at uniformly spaced locations intermediate said ends of said container and in said vertical longitudinal center plane thereof; said beam being arranged above said container and along said vertical longitudinal center plane thereof, said hooks being releasably connected to said eyelets, respectively, whereby a lifting force applied to said beam is transmitted through said hooks, eyelets and cables to said container and the contents thereof along said vertical longitudinal center plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 357,657 Dodman Feb. 15, 1887 1,385,224 Orr July 19, 1921 1,606,036 Mulla Nov. 9, 1926 1,852,987 Tyler Apr. 5, 1932 2,612,924 Cunningham Oct. 7, 1952 2,672,902 Prager Mar. 23, 1954 2,783,786 Carter Mar. 5, 1957 2,851,075 Palfey Sept. 9, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 384,811 Great Britain Dec. 15, 1932 

